The Tale of Sonja and Lucian
by Tarren Read
Summary: Like the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet, a willed Sonja must fight the beliefs of her clan when she falls in love with a Lycan, much to her father's dismay. Will love endure, despite adversity and scorn? If you've seen the movie, you know how it ends.
1. Chapter 1: Burden of Proof

_Author's Note:_

_Good morning! (Just kidding. That's not how I'm going to start out my author's note.)_

_The Tale of Sonja and Lucian. A tale of true love in a time of confusion and hatred, a time where all must ask themselves the ever present questions...What is justice, and what is humane? What is right, and what is wrong? We must ask ourselves what it means to be members of the 'human family', despite even obvious, and sometimes startling differences. _

_I am writing this story for my friends, who know nothing of Underworld. So if I take my writer's privilege on the story and you don't like it... :)_

_Begin._

* * *

The night sky beckoned. Grass swayed in a shallow breeze, crashing waves on a field of unbroken stillness. Stars sprinkled the black sky, the moon casting a milky shadow, as a safe and dimmed daylight. And she knew the night was hers.

She walked alone across a field and on, towards the river she knew lie somewhere just beyond. There was a rock there. A secluded resting spot where one could sit and breathe in the air of an uncomplicated existence, where there was no fear of hunt; where none followed, and none led. There was only wind, and the peace of _being._

She sat down, arranged her skirts, then stared at the great expanse of open sky and freedom, which lay right before her, open to her arms. If only she could fly, far and wide, never to land but only to live.

Hours passed, and she remained, knowing that soon she would have to return to her home, the castle of stone, a hard barrier protecting them from the outside world and the light of morning. Soon the rustling of the trees would change. They would no longer be cool, but would whisper and jitter with excitement of the oncoming dawn; a dawn she would never be a participant of.

Behind her she heard a slight rustling, and wondered if the trees weren't readying for a dawn which was coming much too early. She turned towards the eastern sky, then stopped.

It was a Lycan.

He stood there, watching her slowly, his arms folded across his chest and his eyes narrowed, curious.

She felt suddenly defensive, and angry that he was intruding upon her space, observing her without her knowing. "Why do you watch me, Lycan?" she asked, not needing to hide the annoyance from her tone.

"I am not watching you." he defended, his voice simple, stating a fact.

"Then why are you here?" she asked again, demanding, this time.

"I'm _guarding."_

"Oh, of _course." _she muttered, rolling her eyes to stare back up at the sky, which didn't seem quite so beautiful, now. "How long have you stood there?" she asked.

"Only a few moments." the Lycan responded, shuffling his feet, then staring up at the sky also, following her lead.

She chose to ignore him, and continued observing the fading stars, pretending that nothing had changed. But she had been badly shaken by his appearance. She had not heard his approach.

"I wonder..." the Lycan started, speaking again from behind her, as if making casual conversation. "Life cannot be so hard that one would willingly seek out the light..."

"What are you talking about?" she interrupted him, turning back to look at him, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

He stared at her, his gaze piercing, and he cocked his head to the side, wondering. "I wonder why you sit here, Lady." he said finally, as if that would explain it all.

"And why _shouldn't_ I sit here?" she wondered, impatient with him.

The Lycan began to step forward, his hands now clasped behind his back, his lips pursed thoughtfully. He paced beside her, still staring at the dark sky overhead, thinking to himself. "It has been a beautiful night." he commented, completely disregarding her last question.

"It _was_." she hissed at him, glowering. "But it _is _no longer."

He stopped his pacing in front of her and looked down at her, his eyes still narrowed, his solid build, and stance now firm. "I am curious as to why you remain sitting, Sonja. You seem to sense no danger?" he asked, all casual tones gone.

And through her heart shot a startling jolt of fear. Here she sat, _alone, _before a _Lycan, _in the waning hours of the night. She quickly rose to her feet, straightening herself, ready for an attack she felt certain was imminent. "I would inform you, Lycan, that I do not require your guarding." she stated in a commanding tone, for lack of any better words to say. "My only desire is for the privacy which I was enjoying before your sudden interruption. _Leave, now."_

The Lycan took a step back, raising his hands briefly to show he meant her no harm. "It would be my pleasure to leave you to your own business." he replied curtly. And then he smiled. "Before I go, however, I feel it is my obligation to _remind _you that the rising sun, and _dawn, _come _early _today. In fact, you have only three minutes..."

Sonja blinked, surprised, then glanced behind herself to the east, once more. And, sure enough, the sky was changing from dark lavender to red, faster then she had accounted for. Startled, she turned back to the Lycan, who helplessly shrugged, his eyes sparkling with quiet mirth at her misunderstanding, and now, danger.

She glared, hissing at his face, turned on her feet and ran back to the castle, outrunning even the hurrying shadows.

* * *

"_Why _you insist upon staying out until the last possible moment, I will _never _understand." Viktor scolded, his voice hard and his crystal blue eyes boring into her, from the chair on which he sat. "If you were to hold _one second _longer, it would be your end. This is a consequence which I _fear _for you to bear..."

"That will not happen." Sonja murmured, looking at her feet in a quiet embarrassment.

"And _can _you be so certain?" Viktor asked, accusing. "Your words are _empty. Nothing _can protect you from set consequences, _even _the love of a father." He paused, and then sighed, resting his head in his hand, tired. "How much longer will you be here to trouble me? I do not know..."

"Forever, Father. _Forever." _Sonja insisted, stepping forward to rest a hand on his shoulder. "I will be more careful, from now on." she insisted. "I will come home earlier."

"As you should." Viktor said quickly, nodding to himself. He sighed, then, looking up into her face. "My daughter, my daughter." he mumbled quietly, taking her hand in his own. "You are so beautiful, and _strong. _You make me proud. But your spirit is willful and reckless. You must learn to control yourself. These flights of fancy are merely imaginings and wishful thinkings. The world is a colder and harder place, but is also full of its own dignity and honor. And you are my daughter." Viktor added, narrowing his eyes, serious. "You have great strength and obligation."

He released her hand, but did not release her eyes. She had been excused.

"I understand, Father." Sonja mumbled, stepping back from his chair and bowing her head. "I will do as you say."

He nodded, and she left the room.

* * *

The Lycans were their slaves. Lycans, a dirty and uncultured race, too foolish to live, let alone thrive, on their own. And so they had bound most of the Lycans in cages, to keep the others loyal. Those permitted free range were efficient, and, for the most part, they made faithful guard dogs...

Sonja wandered amongst their cages, now, searching for the face of the Lycan who had made a mock of her in the face of the rising sun. No doubt he was still outside, patrolling the grounds or hunting, as they did, and yet she searched on.

_Always, _she felt, she was nothing but trouble for her father, Viktor, the leader of the clan. She was too eager to explore, and her adventures often put herself, and more importantly, the safety of the entire clan, at risk. Her father had been ashamed of her again, for her latest careless mistake. And now _she_ sought out something on which to place all her blame.

But the Lycan was nowhere to be seen, as she had expected. The other Lycans sat or stood quietly in their cages, watching her restless pacing and surveying glance with cautious eyes. But she had nothing for them, and so left.

Her bitterness would have to wait, to be satisfied, until nightfall.

She hurried up to her quarters, instead, and lay upon her bed, wetting her pillow with her shame-faced tears.

* * *

"You're going out again?" came a voice from behind her, as she headed towards the door, to leave the castle for the night, once more. "I would think you wise enough to learn your lesson after so close an encounter, only last night."

She turned on her heel to face Kraven, the wise-mouthed boy who, so recently been turned, had concluded that his new-found immortality automatically made him the expert on all matters. "There is no danger in the night air." she backfired, unable to keep the snarl out of her voice. "Tonight I will be returning _earlier. _And _upon _my return you had better not be within sight, Kraven, for I have fight to pick with you."

Kraven froze, and she saw him swallow nervously, obviously regretting his having spoken.

Sonja turned and left the castle, trying to calm herself. Her emotions were firing all out of proportion. She could take many things, including wounds, despair, even mocking. But one thing she could not take was her father's disappointment, and any word uttered which so much as hinted at the sensitive subject heated her veins and made her eyes burn with an intense cold blue.

The sun was fading, the western sky dark red, as spilled blood. The Lycans should be coming back in.

She walked to the north side of the castle, to the gate through which the Lycans passed when night fell, and through which, in the morning, a few were allowed free reign, to hunt and protect the boundaries of the clan's lands.

"Ademar." she called, as she approached the two guards whose job is was to hurry the Lycans forward and in through the gate, preventing others from leaving. "Clotaire."

"Sonja." Clotaire greeted, bowing his head slightly. Ademar was preoccupied with taking the body of a fawn from the hands of a Lycan, who offered the meat forward then stepped through the gate and into the cages inside. "What can we do for you?" Clotaire continued, watching her curiously.

"I'm looking for a Lycan I need to speak with." Sonja said, tearing her eyes from the sight of the fawn, not allowing it to distract her. "How many of them have returned so far?"

"Four, now." Ademar stated, brushing his hands together. "There should still be a few more out."

"I'm looking for one who had longer hair. He was very dark. In height he was about..."

"Ah!" Clotaire cut in, nodding in understanding. "I know the one you're looking for. Big one, but lank."

"Yes." Sonja agreed, guessing from Clotaire's certainty that he knew which one she was looking for.

"No, haven't seen him yet." Clotaire shrugged, glancing back towards the western sky. "I'd allow him five more minutes, though. Has he caused trouble?"

"No." Sonja murmured, stepping out of the way and crossing her arms, determined to wait and speak with the Lycan upon his return. She wasn't all sure what she intended to do with him, though her hands longed desperately to sink into something, with the sheer purpose to destroy it. Somehow she knew it would make her feel better.

More Lycans returned, looking ragged and tired, but no sight of her Lycan. The five minutes passed, and Ademar began to close the gate. "That was all of them." Clotaire stated, shrugging uselessly to Sonja. "Perhaps he will be back in tomorrow. You know how they are. They run into some trouble in a nearby village, or some other such..."

"That would be trouble _indeed_." Sonja interjected seriously. "I would _hope _you are not so _lax _in your profession. If the Lycan is found _out, _that puts the safety of our clan's secrecy at stake!"

Clotaire blinked at her slowly and Ademar, having finished closing and locking the gate, grew serious also. "We will go and find him, Lady Sonja. Wherever he may be." Ademar insisted, nodding firmly. "We will hunt him..."

"Inform my father's captain, Cephas, of the situation at once." Sonja ordered, raising a challenging brow.

When neither of the men rebutted her, she left, stalking across open field and towards the river... Her need for vengeance had remained unfed. This Lycan... She would take this matter personally into her own hands, now.

It gave her something to do. She was not like her father, taking great pleasure out of stalking her prey. Her father would call her a child, innocent, rejoicing in life and stillness. But that was not the way of her people. For them, life was a competition, a constant battle, to prove one's strength and right to dominance. But she did not enjoy killing.

When she found this Lycan, there was no doubt that she would try to destroy him, however. She was tired of being told how powerless her innocence was, that she had made herself a victim to frailties of the mind, in her own world. She would prove to them she had ability. She _did _have strength... Perhaps her father was right after all. Her people may appear cold and hard, but their power and dignity... Perhaps she _was_ wrong...

She reached the rock on which she had sat the night before, and searched the ground for any trace of the Lycan, or which direction he may have traveled. And there it was. A trail of footsteps leading towards the river, and across, into the trees, and forest. Eventually the footsteps turned to claw marks and paw prints, and she knew she was on the right track.


	2. Chapter 2: Recoil

"How can you be so sure that she was describing the very one you immediately thought of? Do you have any memory of _your_ Lycan prowling the last day? Or did you only assume that that was the one, from your memory?" Ademar pressed, for obvious reasons. Informing Cephas of any sort of problem was never a pleasant experience.

"I've told you, I don't know! I thought she was speaking of the Lycan... The one..." Clotaire sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Now I'm not sure. I feel so foolish..."

"I suggest we check the cages," Ademar murmured, resting a hand on Clotaire's shoulder, briefly. "Before we go to Cephas. We can speak with the Lycans who came in before Sonja arrived. The ones she wouldn't have seen. We can see if any of them may be the Lycan she was searching for. Leave it to me."

"Alright." Clotaire agreed slowly. "But we must hurry. If Sonja finds that we did not immediately go to Cephas..."

* * *

She stopped only a few miles down the trail, confused. The Lycan's path had doubled back on itself, as if it had returned, from whatever its destination had been, by the same route. Its prints had then headed back in the direction of the castle, as if returning for the night. But it had _not _returned to the castle. She had not seen him, and neither had Clotaire.

The tracks continued forward, over a slight incline of hill and down, and she continued following, feeling that the answer must be forward. She followed the tracks through trees and across flowing rivers, and they always appeared once more on the other side. She followed determinedly, keeping her eyes alert to any sudden movements in the trees surrounding her. If there was an ambush, she would stand little chance. Born of pure blood, her father even being the _first _of their kind, she had a unique strength. But, unfortunately, the Lycans, by nature, were stronger in combat, and _he _may be a pure blood of _his _kind, for all she knew. At least, in all cases, she could _outrun _him in the end.

Time soon faded from her mind as she followed, thinking of little else then the tracks the Lycan had left behind. As always, this proved to be her shortcoming.

* * *

"There!" Ademar insisted, pointing out one of the Lycans who sat submissively against the wall, looking pointedly away from their guessing fingers. "He looks _just_ as she described, and he was the second one in, tonight. I'm sure of it."

Clotaire stepped towards the bars of the cage, grasping them in his hands and leaning his face closer to get a better look at the Lycan, who remained sitting, as if he were not being critically observed. "Lycan." Clotaire called finally, and the Lycan looked up, listening. "Lycan, stand and come forward."

The Lycan stood without objection and moved to the bars, watching Clotaire carefully.

"You were out on watch yesterday?"

"Yes." the Lycan answered, nodding his head slowly, still watching.

"You know of Her Lady Sonja, yes?"

"Yes. I know of her." the Lycan affirmed. His eyes were unchanging in their level, and, unconsciously, Clotaire stepped back from the bars of the cage, leaving the Lycan his turf.

"Would she happen to be looking for you?"

The Lycan paused for a moment, then cocked his head to the side, wondering. "Her Lady Sonja looking for a _Lycan_? I cannot be certain that you know of what you speak."

"Her Lady Sonja _was_ looking for a Lycan; a Lycan who matches your description and whereabouts, _precisely." _Ademar cut in, stepping forward challengingly.

The Lycan turned to Ademar, a smirk hidden at the corners of his mouth. "Then I suppose that makes me the one."

Clotaire hissed at the back of his throat until Ademar shot him a silencing glance. "She is out looking for you now." Ademar informed the Lycan, ignoring Clotaire's obvious distaste.

"And what does she want of _me_?" the Lycan asked.

Clotaire hissed once more and Ademar bared his teeth, both of them not liking the Lycan's obstinance, but having nothing to say of it. "What she wants of you, we do not know." Ademar answered, his voice stiff and cold, _daring_ the Lycan to interrupt him this time. "But what she wants of you does not matter. You are to help us find her, as you know where she may have headed, and were the cause of this problem to begin with."

The Lycan held his jaw firmly set in place, as if to hold himself back from making another remark. "Of course." he said finally, bowing his head slightly and stepping back from the bars.

Ademar stepped to the door of the cage and pulled a key from his pocket, slowly unlocking the padlock while keeping his eyes on the rest of the Lycans in the cage, daring them to try an escape.

Clotaire slowly licked his lips, staring in concentration at the Lycan, who stared back, calmly. "And your _name_?" Clotaire demanded finally.

The Lycan smiled. "Lucian." he replied, nodding his head firmly. "And you are...?"

Clotaire hissed in response and Ademar reached into the cage, grabbing the Lycan by the arm, roughly.

* * *

The tracks were befuddled, as if the Lycan had been pacing, one line of steps over the next. And he had gone back to his human form, so they were footprints.

She stopped there for a long time, looking at the surroundings. What had perplexed the Lycan so, that he had stood and paced aimlessly? There was no hint in the trees, in the sky, on the ground or the smell of things. Whatever had caused the Lycan such thought had been purely internal. She thought of him pacing alone in the trees, the sun shining down on his head as a light brush, a warm touch, as he paced in his own time.

What did a _Lycan_ have to pace about anyways?!

She looked over the ground and spotted where his footprints went on. They continued in a direction away from the castle, at long human strides. And she continued following.

* * *

"She's following his trail, that's for certain." Ademar observed, standing upright from his crouch near the ground.

"What lies in that direction?" Clotaire asked.

"A village. Thirty miles from here." Ademar paused then, turning. "Did you pass by the village, last night?"

The Lycan had his head bowed submissively, unusually quiet since Ademar had backhanded him for a particularly snide comment. "I did not pass by." the Lycan said, still staring at his feet. "I was patrolling the borders of the clan's land, and the village _lies _on those borders. I observed the people there to ascertain there was no threat."

Ademar and Clotaire both looked at him, then at each other, doubt clearly written across their faces. "Perhaps we should have informed Cephas, after all." Clotaire murmured quietly.

"Silence." Ademar hissed, obviously weighing out the situation in his mind. He turned another threatening eye on the Lycan. "You are _certain_ you did not enter the village... _Bite _anyone... ?"

The Lycan continued to stare at his feet, his jaw clenched in repressed anger. "I am certain." he mumbled. "I only watched on the outskirts of the village, as I do _every_ day."

"He could be lying." Clotaire whispered back to Ademar.

"He could _also_ be telling the truth." Ademar replied, still thinking.

"But if we were to stumble into a village _full _of Lycans, just the two of us..."

There was silence as all waited for a decision on their next course of action. A slight breeze stirred the leaves in the trees, and the Lycan looked up carefully towards the sky. "Dawn..." he murmured.

"_Dawn_ is still _hours_ away. _Calm_ yourself, Lycan." Ademar hissed. "Do not be so eager for our deaths."

The Lycan shrugged to himself, unnoticed, and went back to his surveying of the tracks that made their way deeper still into the trees.

"Perhaps if we return to the castle now, we would have time to gather a greater number of our men to travel to the village, in safety. If we leave now..."

"There is not much time. The village is a fair distance from here... Surely Sonja will have the presence of mind to make her return shortly."

"But if she does not?"

"What _if _she does not? There is not much we can do about that."

"I will go for her."

Ademar and Clotaire looked up from their argument to stare at the Lycan, who sat back calmly in a crouching position, waiting for their permission. He was obviously ready to go.

Clotaire began to chuckle darkly, shaking his head. "I'm sure you would _love_ that, Lycan. The opportunity to get Viktor's daughter while she is alone..."

"You have no other options." the Lycan pointed out, risking his interruption. "I have done no harm, before, and will do none now. I wish only to help, as has always been the duty of my people."

Clotaire glanced nervously to Ademar, who was watching the Lycan carefully, as if to catch a lie in his eyes. At last he gave a snarl of defeat, showing his teeth, then turning his head from it. "We will accompany you, Lycan." Ademar explained, glaring. "So far as the night permits us. After that, Sonja is your sole responsibility. Until she returns safely to the castle, you will be a hunted man, and will not be welcome, alive, in these lands."

"Then we leave now." the Lycan stated abruptly, nodding to himself and rising to his feet, taking off into the trees.

Clotaire watched the Lycan's departure, then turned to Ademar in confusion. "Why are we going? The sun will be up before we can make it to the village and then back."

"We will go as far as we can." Ademar explained. "When we can go no further without being caught in the daylight, we will turn back. I hope to find Sonja on the trail returning before we must make our retreat."

* * *

A village.

Immediately she froze, startled. The Lycan's tracks had led straight to a village. She had been told that, in earlier days, Lycans had attacked entire villages, turning all humans within sight into Lycans as well, bloodthirsty and crazed, with no freedom or strength of mind, or choice.

An entire village of Lycans...

She nearly turned and fled, but her curiosity held her in place. All was silent. If the people _had_ been turned into those savage beasts, the village would be teeming with noise and action. So perhaps he had done nothing. Only observed.

Quietly she left the line of trees and crept through the street, lined with houses. Inside of them she could hear families quietly slumbering, their breaths sweet and shallow, peaceful dreams, no doubt, swirling through their minds. The street was empty, pebbles crunching softly beneath her feet. The moon lit upon her face, and she glanced up to the clear star-studded sky, happy, at last, to have found what appeared to be yet another peaceful haven.

Ahead a house door opened, and a simple farmer stepped out, his hand covering his mouth as he yawned and stretched tiredly. Sonja hid herself behind the wall of another building and continued to watch the man, curious. He picked up a shovel from against the side of the building and slung it over his shoulders, resting his arms as he made his way behind the house and into the field beyond, ready for an early start to the day's work, no doubt.

Sonja stopped. The day.

She was out of the village in the blink of an eye, her legs pumping wildly, her arms swinging at her sides as her eyes widened in panic and horror. Not _again! _Not again, and this time so far from _home!_

A tree branch reached out and scraped her face as she fled, but she ran through it, no time to stop. The sun... What time could it be? How long did she _have? _And how long, at inhuman speed, would it take her to return to the castle? ...

There was not enough _time!! _Not enough time, not enough time... But she had to _try!_

* * *

"Lycan!" Clotaire called, stopping his strides, breathing heavily. "_Lycan!!_"

Seconds later the Lycan appeared beyond the trees, in full form.

"_Find _her!" Clotaire yelled, snarling. "_Find _her and help her! We can go no further!"

The Lycan barked his guttural response and tore back through the trees, disappearing from sight.

"Quickly." Ademar breathed, grabbing Clotaire by the arm. "We must hurry back. We have gone too far. There is not much time for us."

"There is _no _time for her." Clotaire murmured, his face drawn in pain. "No time..."

"_He _will help her. Come, Clotaire, _come!_" Ademar insisted, pulling on his arm.

The two of them turned and fled, flying through the trees, nearly invisible in their haste as they returned.

* * *

She felt tears streaming down her cheeks and horrified sobs shook her. She tripped several times, and fell, but always she flew back to her feet and on, on through the trees.

How _foolish _she had been! How she _deserved_ what was coming to her! She couldn't even _remember, _now, what had brought her to this. To her end. To her _death. _And she was so afraid. Afraid of burning alive...

She cried, feeling the trees around her beginning to stir, daylight on its way. And there was nothing she could do. Keep _running? _She had no _choice! _Her muscles cried out for rest, and each step became more difficult, but all the more necessary. She was fighting herself, fighting destiny. She would die. That was her fate. To _die_...

And then, as if from nowhere, a hand forcefully grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop, nearly toppling her backwards, and she cried out. A muzzle and smoldering black eyes...

And then the face of the Lycan, his eyes intent and clear. "Stop." he said, grabbing her other arm and steadying her. "There is a barn, nearly three miles due South East of here. Now _run!!_" She barely had time to blink before he had turned her and pushed her in the right direction, pulling her along beside him.

And she understood. There was hope...

Her feet began to fly, once more, pulling strength from beyond herself, and she sped past the Lycan, leaving him behind and _further, _out of sight. The miles flew beneath her feet, a red morning rising before her fearful eyes. And she sped on, air howling past her ears as she went.

And through the trees she saw the barn, standing solitary on an open field, which was soon rustling past her feet, and she was at the door, breaking the lock with one pull of her arm, and she threw herself inside.

The sun was not up, quite yet, but she knew the problem immediately. There were gaping holes between the planks of wood which made up the walls of the structure. _Gaping _holes! She screamed in frustration and threw herself throughout the barn, searching for a hiding place, a hole, a box, or _anything_ in which to hide from the scorching light of day, but there was _nothing_! Only bales of hay and panicked livestock screeching, squealing...

The Lycan threw himself into the barn after her and turned back, changing into the form of a man as he slammed the doors closed and locked them. The livestock hollered only louder still.

"_Why _have you _sent_ me here!?" Sonja screamed at him, standing helpless, her arms spread wide. "It's barely held together by a few _nails_, and you have _sent _me here!!"

The walls of the barn were beginning to glow. The sun was nearly on the horizon, rising quickly.

The Lycan threw himself towards a corner, grabbing whole bales of hay in his hands and pulling them together, lifting them and forming a barrier, breathing heavily as he worked quickly, the sun rising higher and higher, the walls beginning to glow brighter and brighter, only a few seconds before light would reach them...

Sonja threw herself to the ground and covered her face in her arms, weeping bitterly, terror and sorrow combining and holding her still, unable to move for her life. Her life...

The Lycan rushed forward and picked her up into his arms, threw her behind the bales of hay, and jumped down over her, covering her with his own body, completing the barrier against the sun just as the barn filled with light.

Sonja continued to weep, sobbing into the dirty floor of the barn, her hands over her face, gathering the tears of her terror. And the Lycan carefully raised his eyes, surveying the light before him, then looked down at the face of the Vampire, tears on her cheeks, but not a _single _ray of sunlight. "You're safe." he murmured, still struggling for breath. "You're safe..."


	3. Chapter 3: Retention

"Has Sonja returned?"

Kraven turned from the lazy study of his book to look at the face of the man standing before him. "She was outside, last_ I_ heard." he noted, putting a finger in his book to keep the page. "Why? What time is it?"

"The sun is up."

He was on his feet immediately, turning to the door, searching. "I... I... I did not see her come in, but that does not mean she did not..." The man standing before him was covered in sweat, his chest rising and falling. There were two of them, for a man stood behind him, in a similar state of exhaustion. Clotaire and Ademar..

"Come." Ademar said to Clotaire, stepping forward and grabbing his shoulder. "We will search all the rooms..."

The two of them turned and left quickly, hurrying out of the entry hall without another word, and deeper into the castle. Kraven remained standing, fear rising inside of him as he guessed at what had happened. Sonja was still outside?

Viktor must know.

He set his book down and hurried down the hall after them, taking a different turn.

* * *

Lucian shifted his weight, his legs tiring of their supporting him in their huddling, protective stance. Beneath him Sonja moaned, grimacing in her sleep. The experience had obviously been too much, and he did not blame her for loosing consciousness like she had. He only envied her.

Every muscle in his body was tight and stiff, and sweat was building up on his forehead from his continuous strained effort. He could feel the sun resting down on his back through the walls of the barn, and knew he could not move from his position. It must be nearly midday.

And she had been hunting him down so earnestly. She probably had conceived notions of her own correctness in the act, and the consequence of her failed reasoning seemed only too obvious, now, hiding in this barn. He only wondered if she would see her misfortune as her own doing, and not try to place the blame on _his _head, once more...

If only he could change into his _Lycan _form! Those legs were _stronger, _and the muscles he used now were _screaming_ for relief! But he did not trust the Lycan size to cover Sonja sufficiently from the sun, and his transforming would likely wake her, and frighten her. He would have to stay as he was, for now.

He held for as long as he could before he had to shift his weight again, and Sonja stirred once more, this time, her eyes fluttering open. For a moment she paused, gathering her senses, then she groaned and buried her face deeper into the bales of hay, her body jolting as he heard her begin to cry, in fear, again.

"It's alright." he assured quickly, trying to make his voice soothing. "It's alright, now. Just wait." Her tears became silent, but he knew she was still listening. "Just a few more hours." he continued, breathing quietly, trying to break through his own pain, which was jolting through his legs and back, burning and threatening to give way. "Just awhile longer."

She turned her head and looked at him, her eyes still wide with fear, and yet a sudden trusting buried deeply there, which he had never seen in any Vampire's eyes before. She was _trusting _him.

And he could not tear his eyes from those wide ones, so dark against her pale skin, her fragile form, which he protected with the strength of his own body, shivering beside him. And those _eyes, trusting _him, openly giving him all her fears and _pleading _for continued strength.

She turned her eyes from his, first, and buried them back within the hay, sniffing softly, still crying, though more controlled now. Lucian could only stay, holding fast in his position as the day slowly slipped by.

* * *

She could feel it when the sun finally passed beyond the horizon. While it had remained in the sky she had felt as if a hand resided in her chest, gripping her heart, constraining its quick beats in a relentless grasp. And now the sun was gone and her heart could finally beat free.

The Lycan fell from her side and moved to the side wall, leaning his head back and closing his eyes, breathing slowly, with difficulty. Sweat ran down the sides of his face as he stretched his legs out, gritting his teeth slightly at the pain of sore muscles. He had crouched there the whole time.

She sat up, herself, leaning against the hay bales as the Lycan leaned against the wall, both of them facing each other. She closed her eyes also, breathing in the cooling night air, feeling it fill her lungs with blessed relief. She was alive. She was still alive. And she owed all her thanks to him...

"I am a Vampire." he muttered, and she opened her eyes to look at him, confused. His eyes were still closed, his face to the ceiling. "I am a Vampire, and cannot go out into the light." he continued. "Repeat after me..."

Sonja laughed, breaking the silence with the sound. "I _know." _she cried in relief. "And I shall _not _forget it _again_!"

The Lycan opened his eyes to look back at her, chuckling as well, his mouth spread in a tired grin. He sighed and shook his head to himself, still laughing along with her. "And you chose the _worst _time of year, for your adventure, also." he continued. "If you had done this five months ago there would have been _eight _hours of sunlight instead of the _sixteen_ you chose, in staying out _last _night. _Very _bad timing. You would trust a Vampire to have these things sorted out."

"I am _so sorry_." Sonja sighed, shaking her head in awe.

He only chuckled again, still smiling. "No harm done." he murmured. "I am better now, regardless. And you? You are feeling well?"

"Perfectly." she responded, nodding quickly. "Not a scar."

"That's good." he muttered, raising his face once more to the ceiling, continuing to breathe with closed eyes.

And there he sat. Her Lycan warrior, who had found her in the trees and directed her where she must go. She had found no safety, but he had confined the danger from her with his own sheer will. And she had done nothing for him.

"I owe you my life, Lycan." she said finally, swallowing back her pride.

"Lucian." he muttered, face still to the ceiling.

"Pardon?"

"Lucian. My name is Lucian." he repeated, looking back at her, his eyes intent.

She blinked, taken aback. "Oh...yes..." She had never thought to ask his name. But he _had_ one...

"You owe me nothing." he continued, shaking his head and pursing his lips. He sighed, then slowly raised himself to his feet, stepping towards her and offering a hand of help. "We must get you back." he stated. "They will be worried."

She allowed him to help her to her feet, and, once she was standing, she followed him out of the barn and forward.

* * *

The castle was still more then twenty miles away, so Lucian had transformed into his Lycan form to run along beside her, and she had slowed from her full speed so that she could lope along beside him. Vampire and Lycan, together. They covered the miles in silence, the one unable to speak in his current form, and the other choosing not to speak.

Sonja was having the strangest feeling she had ever yet experienced. Doubt was creeping into her mind. The order she had known all her life seemed somehow wrong, and that impression upon her mind filled her with a wavering hesitation. The system seemed out of order, unjust, and biased, which thing she had never supposed. But what could _she _do?

Her father meant all the world to her, and to say the things she was feeling would certainly heap upon her the scorn of her people. Her father would be _more_ then disappointed.

Could she continue living the life she had known before, now that she had found this, though? This Lycan... Lucian... She felt he was of no less worth than _she _was. She couldn't quite describe it. Lucian was a _slave_, and yet he was _more. _He was wise. He had strength and presence and power. And he responded to subjection far better then she could ever imagine _herself _doing! To think of a life of slavery...

She felt so indecisive. It was surely wrong. Lucian was different, and yet he was the same... But her people...

A phantom of a shape flew through the trees, nearly invisible, and collided with the Lycan, Lucian, sending his form slamming into a nearby tree. The shape flew back a few steps, and came into focus as Magen, his body lowered and spread out, arms ready at his sides, snarling at the Lycan before him.

Lucian shook his head, tossing dizzy stars from his eyes, no doubt, then returned the stance to Magen, thundering a horrific roar, his eyes flashing with fury as he revealed a long row of fangs.

More Vampires closed in, surrounding Lucian on all sides, all of them snarling in their return. Ten against one...

Before she knew what she was doing, Sonja's feet had thrown her in front of Magen, standing at the ready, defending her Lycan. Her arms readied at her sides, and she felt a deep hiss released from her throat, her eyes burning.

And Magen relaxed, taking a step back, lowering his eyes, but quickly looking back up, confusion apparent. "Lady Sonja?" he questioned quietly, turning his head with lowered brows.

"The Lycan saved my life." she stated, still defending. "You will do him no harm."

"As you say." Magen agreed, his eyes lowered as he quickly nodded. "Of course."

Slowly she took a breath and straightened her shoulders back out, her eyes not leaving Magen's face. When she was certain he would not fight, she turned her gaze back to Lucian, a wild anxiety screaming through her pounding heart...

But he stood there, as a man, meeting her eye for eye, calm and sure.

He belonged to her. And she had no doubt that _she_ belonged to _him._


	4. Chapter 4: Confidant

CHAPTER 4 - Confidant

"I cannot _even_ _ask_ you what is was that you thought you were doing."

"I am sorry, Father." Sonja replied, kneeling hopelessly before him. She could hardly hear her own voice. All the world's humiliations had combined against her, and her father's own displeasure was above them all, as she had known it would be but had not truly comprehended and felt at full force until this moment.

His eyes were aflame, and unflinching in their gaze. He was on his feet, his hands clenched in a barely subdued fury at his sides. "'I will be more _careful'_, you said. And _this_ is being careful?" he continued slowly, making the sting of it more awful to bear. "You travel to the very _borders_ of the clan's boundaries, with _scarce_ time for return, and then you _dawdle_."

"Father, I did not _mean_..."

"_This _is how you would repay me, my daughter?" Viktor interrupted her, snarling. "You risk your life so _foolishly_, and then you return as if nothing is the matter? As if your decisions were based on pure intelligence? You are _gravely_ mistaken. Such irresponsibilities can only be answered upon your head."

"I..."

"As your _father_, I hereby suspend you from traveling beyond the grounds, until you have sufficiently proven yourself trustworthy. _Until_ that time, I pray _never_ to hear of any adventures, _mishaps_, or carelessness at your hands. _Do_ I make myself understood?"

Sonja found the strength only to look at his feet as she weakly nodded, straining her eyes to keep the warm tears from falling. "Yes, Father." she murmured.

Viktor heaved a sigh and slowly unclenched his fists, gritting his teeth instead. "Go now." he hissed, in a whisper. "I would not see you for the rest of the night."

Sonja quickly stumbled up to her feet, her eyes cast downwards. She gave a quick curtsy and bow of the head then turned to the door and hurried out, escaping into the castle.

* * *

"He is _upset_ with me!?" Sonja cried, unable to stop herself, her tearful eyes clouding her vision as she threw herself to her knees, sitting. "It is _I_ who ought to be most shaken, and yet _I_ am the one to be _blamed_ for _offense_!? Can he not simply be pleased that I have _survived_!? No! He must remind me of my constant failings. Oh, how I have failed _him..." _Another sob shook in her throat, which, with difficulty, she kept in. She breathed to slow her tears, sniffing helplessly and wiping the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand.

Only then she could bring herself to look at him, ready to hear whatever words he might have to say. In her heart she knew that he would be understanding, that he would desire to help. And she trusted him. She trusted Lucian, and his wisdom. And yet the look on his face was not one of concern.

His eyes were widened in shock and confusion, even. He stared at her as one accosted by a violent stranger would stare. Alarmed, and embarrassed. When she met his eyes, he narrowed his brows, seriousness and disbelief in his face. Quickly he glanced at the faces of those surrounding him, then looked at her once more, wordlessly horrified.

Her eyes seemed to open. The cage. The other Lycans.

"Oh." she mumbled, blinking, all tears vanished at the sight of the other Lycans' intense stares, their minds racing with wonder and curiosity. She had shown them that she was _weak... _What had she done? How had she not even seen them? "Oh." she mumbled again.

They glanced from her to Lucian, the Lycan intelligence unquestioned as they debated silently why the only daughter of Viktor was distraught and incapacitated before their mere slave eyes, and their very own Lucian...

Sonja threw herself back to her feet, now on edge, and defensive. These were her people's slaves. Her father's and her own _slaves. _Lucian was _one _of them. How foolish was she to believe for even the slightest moment that he could ever be anything more? That she could speak with him behind those _bars _as a trusted and beloved friend?

She drew herself up, gathering her remaining dignity, leaving, never to return. How much shame could she endure for one lifetime? This was enough...

"Son... Lady? Wait..."

His voice was suddenly pleading.

She turned, blinking back returning tears, only to see him now at the front of the cage, his hands gripping the bars as his eyes stared fervently after her. "Lady, I would... I would speak with you." he said quieter, glancing carefully at the listening eyes around him, pulling his shoulders in as if to block them out. "I would... speak with you... if you desire it."

She blinked, wavering. He stared now, unflinching, at her. He held no haughty pride in his gaze, as he had with Magen and the other Vampires - only fear and hope. For an instant her breath caught in her throat, and her heart faltered. "I..." She _did_ want to speak with him. She wanted it... more than anything. "Yes. I..." She glanced around herself, then back at the Lycans' faces, filled with doubt.

Lucian nodded slowly, his eyes glittering with what she could only assume was gladness. He glanced once more at the Lycans around him, then pressed his face closer to the bars, as minutely closer as was possible. "There...There is a place we could meet." he whispered, loud enough for her to hear.

Cautiously she returned to the bars of the cage, stepping back over her retreated path to return to Lucian's side, as he whispered urgently. "During the day." Lucian continued. "There... There is a chapel, adjoining the castle. Your people don't use it." he added, his voice catching in amusement or excitement. "I... I could meet you there...in the morning."

Sonja drew back slightly to stare at him, and then the others, obviously still listening, though they had averted their eyes and pretended otherwise, in polite respect. And Lucian... he bit his lip and watched her face, waiting for a response - a pin to drop.

She sighed quietly and looked at her feet, wondering how everything could have changed so much.

And she nodded, glancing back quietly to his face, then left.

* * *

He was right. Her people _didn't_ use the chapel. Sonja had only been in the castle's adjoining chapel _once _in her lifetime, that she could remember, and that had been by accident. She had been young, hiding and chasing a few friends throughout the castle early one morning, when she had stumbled in, knocking over a cross perched precariously close to the closed door. She had jumped back in fear at the sudden clattering sound and, after a few moments of peering through the door at the dark rows and altar, she had quickly excused herself once more.

Someone must have replaced the cross over the years, because it stood upright once more, dust and spiderwebs gathered on its surface.

She entered the room slowly, on quiet feet, glancing up cautiously at the old ceiling to ascertain that the aging shingles were still able to keep the light out. They were.

The chapel seemed empty, and eerily so. In this place, people had once flocked to worship, and now it was empty, the wood cracking with age and disrepair. The hymns and prayers had faded with those who once were, and yet the holiness of it had not diminished, the echoes of their voices still suspended in the frozen air. And she had broken their silence.

Sonja nearly turned back, that old childhood fear burning in her chest. But she fought it, and stepped forward towards the rows and benches, brushing the dust from one surface absently with her finger as she sat, to wait.

There was a strange churning sensation in her chest, as if she were about to be sick, though that wasn't it. Part of it was fear. She truly knew nothing of Lucian, who could so obviously defeat her if he had half a mind to. But besides that, there was the fear of him, himself. She had never... felt... this way about anyone before. She was uncertain of what such a feeling could do. She felt vulnerable to him, and yet powerful beyond all imaginings _because _of him.

...And what could be done about that?

There was a quiet knock on the chapel door, that opened to the outside, and Sonja took that as her cue to hide herself from the light as Lucian opened the door. She ducked her head behind the bench she sat on, and covered her face with her hands, for extra protection. "Safe to come in." she muttered quietly, knowing that Lucian's ears would surely pick it up.

She heard the door open and close quickly, and Lucian's breath came from the back of the chapel. "Sonja?" he asked carefully, and the sound of his round, deep voice sent chills rushing through her. "Are you alright?"

"Perfectly fine." she felt herself say as she straightened to look back at him over the bench. He stood there, his arms hanging comfortably at his sides like a statue of perfection. His eyes had finally found their mark on her face, and were lit up, as with a sigh.

"Good." he said, moving slowly towards her and her bench. "I was worried you wouldn't make it. It's good to see you." He sat a few feet from her side, then, his eyes still watching her face intently.

She felt her skin begin to crawl under the intensity of his gaze and so she looked away, embarrassed, towards the front of the chapel, and the alter that stood there. How many times had he entered and offered his sacrifices to his nameless God, she wondered? How many times had he opened his eyes in blind faith and pledged his devotion to that unreachable force? ..._Maybe _never.

"I feel like such a fool." she said, folding her hands in her lap, bowing her head and staring at her fingers mindlessly. "I must apologize for...for in the cages... I... I should have thought more. That was careless, stupid, and unfeeling of me to barge in and speak with you as if no others were present, completely disregarding your own privacy and situation. I ought to be burned, and..."

"Hey, hey. No." Lucian interrupted, his voice hard and serious. She spared his face another glance, and saw his eyebrows were lowered at her in disapproval. "You must not speak like that." he continued. "You could not have seen what all your life you have been taught _not_ to see. It's... it's difficult to make such changes. It's hard to fight your very nature, whether truth, or not. What matters is the direction your behavior and beliefs are heading. That's all that matters."

He breathed another thoughtful sigh, then chuckled slightly. "And look where you are _now_!" he laughed, spreading his arms wide. "You're sitting in a _chapel_, having a conversation with a _Lycan_. If that's not progression, I don't know what is. You're moving forward. Don't regret the past which has taught you."

Sonja couldn't tear her eyes from his face. He was so confidant, so knowledgeable... And he was sitting beside her, comfortably. He had dissolved the space he had left between them with his words. She wanted him to be directly next to her, close, as his words had been. Those arms resting along the top of the bench needed to be around her shoulders, around her, resting.

Her father would kill her. He would kill _him_, _Lucian._ Vampires and Lycans did _not_ speak casually, and _never _could a Lycan touch her, Viktor's only child, his only daughter. She _could not be here_...

Lucian could sense some doubt preying on her mind, and he shifted quietly in his seat. "You came to speak with me." he murmured quietly. "Your father..."

Sonja looked back up at him, at the mention of her father, and her eyes were their angry, vibrant, Vampire blue. Lucian inhaled sharply and drew back momentarily, surprised, but quickly soothed his nerves, trying to pretend nothing had happened.

"I..." Sonja muttered, looking back into her lap and blinking quickly to release whatever tension it was she was feeling, from her eyes. "I just... he was mad at me, and I... I don't understand what... what I'm supposed to do..."

"He... doesn't approve of your actions?" Lucian ventured, careful to be soft in his words, not wanting to upset her greater than she obviously already was.

Sonja forced a laugh. "'Doesn't approve of my _actions_' is putting it mildly." She sniffed stubbornly and shook her head to herself. "He thinks that my many mishaps are somehow intentional, and he takes their occurrences as a personal attack on his role as father. He thinks perhaps I misrepresent him to the rest of the clan. I am not sure."

Lucian listened carefully to her words, waiting for a hint in her phrasing, perhaps some gesture that would tell him if he were safe. She continued her stories, and he listened, trying to pay attention through his mind's wandering. All he could think of was her, and how much danger would be in store for him, loving her. Her elegance, her innocence, all of it was overwhelming. She was a danger, and he felt the cliff-diver, for nothing would stop him now.

"Does your father know about me?" he asked, as Sonja finished another story of her father's critiquing.

Sonja looked up from her lap towards him once more, her eyes tight with confused thought, and her cheeks wet from a few drying tears. "He... knows that a Lycan protected me during the day time..."

Lucian shook his head. "No. I mean... Your father. Does he know that you are here, now, speaking with me?" He waited for her response, knowing her answer, but not her reaction to her secret of him.

Sonja blinked slowly and shifted, saying nothing.

Lucian could not help himself. She looked so afraid and confused, so delicate before him thinking of her own considered betrayal of her people. He moved towards her, filling the space on the bench that he had originally left between them as he sat right beside her, putting his hands in his lap and bowing his head, as she thought, wishing only to be by her side, to be her comfort.

Sonja covered her face in her hands, then quickly removed them, rubbing her eyes absently. "He does not know." she said finally. "He... He would not approve of me speaking with you, so he _cannot_ know."

So she was willing to risk the danger. She had turned her face forward again, to stare at the chapel's altar, deep in her own thoughts.

Lucian didn't know what was going to happen, or even what he wished _could_ happen. He only felt, being beside her, that this was where he belonged. Whatever obstacles lay in waiting, he would find the way, or he would have no reason to go on.

Sonja had rested her hands on her knees, twisting, nervously, the folds of her dress in her fingers. She let her breaths came deeply, to reassure herself, as her hands shook with a confused emotion. Those trembling, cold hands...

He felt his own hand reach out and grasp hers, secure and gentle, without thinking. Only after he had done it did it register, and yet he would not let go. He was willing...

She turned her face to him quickly, startled at the touch, no doubt. Her eyes were hard and red from tears. They were empty, with nothing more to cry. He flinched at the emptiness found there, yet still did not let go. Her hand in his... If he could only keep her hand in his...

She turned her gaze away from him once more, her hand still lying lifeless beneath his. "Can I see you tomorrow?" she asked suddenly, her voice emotionless.

"Yes." Lucian whispered, sincere.

Sonja nodded to herself slowly, still thinking.

But then she squeezed his hand back, ever so slightly.


	5. Chapter 5: Seclusion

CHAPTER 5 – Seclusion

There was a smile on her face that she couldn't quite mask. Lucian. Lucian was the cause of her happiness. Her new-found friend and faithful guardian. For all his dark humor and pride, she knew that he really cared, that in his seemingly impenetrable heart, she had made an impact. And his tall, dark form, his warm blood and earthy scent, he _too_ had made an impact on her, with all his character.

He would sometimes hold her hand, and together they could laugh, lightening the dark chapel air with their presence. Together they told so many stories, and they could talk for hours during the days. When the time came for him to leave her, their parting was easy, for they knew the next day would come with the rising sun and their freedom. For when Lucian was free, then Sonja was free too, confined indoors as she was. Lucian had lit her world in a way she had only ever dreamed of.

The nights were unbearable, now, locked in the castle as she was. No amount of reading by firelight could calm her restlessness, so that she found herself pacing, the written words read, without comprehension. The conversation of old friends was not enough to keep her mind from wandering, once more, to the conversations she could be having with _her_ Lycan...

He was so _warm_. She had never realized that, in all her years of dealing with them. Lycans had warm blood, which radiated through their skin, in ways that Vampires simply _didn't_. When he would take her hand in his, it felt, each time, that she was receiving life, flowing from his hand into her own. Everything _about_ him was warm and renewing, living and vibrant.

She could not stop herself from smiling as she paced the library, touching a book, here and there, turning a page, then passing on, uninterested in simple bound-paper companions. Her heart pounded, waiting, as she mentally counted down the hours for yet another perfect morning, to be born again.

* * *

Kraven saw himself as an intellectual, ready to learn, ready to understand, and, more importantly, ready to act, when and where he saw necessary. He studied hard, the things he wanted to know, and did the things he saw best to do, in response. The obvious weaknesses of others, those too _afraid_ to speak their minds, or those too 'indebted' to see clearly their _own _opportunities, troubled him, and yet reassured him of his own security.

In Vampire years, he was quite young, and yet the past decade of immortality had been one of learning, and growth, not to mention the acquiring of a completely new social spectrum. Yet, though they were immortal, he found in the majority of these Vampires the same faults he had found in the fellow human beings of his past. Fear. Unquestioned subjection.

There were the few exceptions, more obvious than not. Viktor. He knew what he was doing, and Kraven respected that, showing him the guarded fear he deserved, as leader of the clan. Cephas, Viktor's general, and of course, Amelia...

Kraven forced himself not to linger on the thoughts of Amelia. She was beautiful, but _obviously_ unreachable. He never thought of her long, for when he did, he felt young, and foolish, controlled by mere passion and lust. Much better to think on possibilities.

He much preferred the willed, and powerful women, the ones who could drive him to the brink of madness with one look from their steel cold eyes. For, in the end, what greater prize could there be than attaining a stark individual, who, at last, would bow beneath _you_?

There weren't many of those, but of late, he had been watching one... She seemed prime, ready for a suitor, yet oblivious to any man who gave her their regards. She seemed in a world of her own, making her own decisions, walking her own paths... And a _klutz_, she was, too. That seemed a bit beneath him, really, to consider, but there was a grace to her, and a quick temper, which attracted him.

He made no scene, of his watching her, as he sat, reading his book in the castle library. She was very often in there, however, today her mind was obviously somewhere else. She had hardly even noticed his presence, and now stood, walking down the isles, fingering a book here and there, absently, setting it back, her movements slow, concentrated, and dreamlike.

There was a light in her eyes, a bounce in her step, the past week or so that he had observed. At first he had been curious if his own attention to her had been discovered, and this lightheartedness was a flattered response... But that possibility he quickly dismissed, as her eyes continued to glance over him, hardly aware. However, there was certainly something, something hidden, kept secret in her own heart, fueling her from within.

Yes, he was envious. And yes, he would find out what _of_, and change the circumstance, at any cost.

* * *

Lucian sat on his own, for the moment, in the chapel. He didn't like entering when Sonja was already there. The idea of his opening the outside door, letting in the sunlight, with Sonja present... The thought made him shiver, so on these days when Sonja arrived late, he was silently grateful.

He had not patrolled his area of the clan's territory for nine days, now, but had no doubt the Vampires were safe enough, without him. He felt no guilt. In fact, he felt a surge of pleasure when he thought on it, his quiet little rebellion, his own private war, won. It was all he could afford to do, but the small independence he found in it reminded him that he was alive, to chose.

He had always defied, in his own way, as stubbornly as he could dare. To see confusion and angry surprise on Vampire faces was what he lived for. To be able to see, with his plain eyes, that he was frustrating their plans and ideas... Again, he felt alive, _invigorated_.

And _now_, what would they do, when they found that Sonja, at the heart of Vampire future, had befriended him? The _anger_ that would lie in their eyes as they saw their power stripped from them, and the scales tottering dangerously close to equality... What could be _done_ with equality? He had never even _dreamed_ of the possibility of _freedom_...

At the back of the chapel, the door flung open, and Sonja's light footfalls entered. He turned to see her, her eyes, now familiar, upturned, her lips parting into a wild grin as she practically skipped to the pew on which he sat. "Lucian." she greeted, saying his name with release, as if she had been waiting to say it all night.

"Sonja." he replied, humored at her exuberance, trying, for the most part unsuccessful, to hide his smile, which gave away, too easily, the stricken beating of his own pounding heart.

"Ah. Last night was _awful_." Sonja explained, rolling her eyes in her defined way. "To _hear_ the conversation for _one_ minute, alone, would have driven you _beyond_ insanity. So _dull_!"

Lucian could not keep himself from laughter, and she joined in, her eyes turning down in slight embarrassment. "Is that so?" Lucian asked, chuckling and shaking his head at her.

"Yes." Sonja said, feigning defense, with her chin stuck out proudly. "It was _awful_. To _think_. _Immortality_. They certainly make _mortality_ look quite appealing, with the level of excitement that goes on in _this_ place all night. One can only take so much..."

Lucian laughed once more, but found that he was, quite soon, distracted by her. Her cheerful eyes, the smooth curve of her laughing chin, her hands, curled lightly in her lap. He breathed out slowly and gently took them in his own, smiling still. When he returned his gaze to her face, her eyes were warm, watching, and pleased. A strand of hair lay across her cheek, and so, gently, he brushed it behind her ear with a delicate flourish, that made his heart skip a beat at the closeness. She blushed and turned her eyes down, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, relentlessly.

She was so delicate, that the sudden, nagging thought which popped into his mind made him shudder in revulsion. He saw, for a moment, his open rebellion, his Sonja, the weapon he would use against the Vampires, to defy them with his aggression and demands...

His Sonja... She would _not_ be a weapon. She _could_ not be. She was his falling leaf, his beautiful flower, vulnerable to the striking winds and bitter cold, which would undoubtedly destroy her. He could not use her to set _himself_ free. _Without_ her, he could _never _be free.

And so Lucian held her hands once more, stroking the soft skin with his thumb, sighing to himself, understanding the submission he was choosing, but knowing that his Sonja would be safe. "We will just have to make sure the conversation here is much more _meaningful_ than talk of blood and old repeated stories, then, won't we." he comforted.

* * *

Lucian had run back to the tree line while the sun was still in the sky. Casually he wandered through the oak trees, feeling the setting sun trickle through and light upon his face. He had to look natural, as if he had never been gone, or rather, had never stayed at the castle. That he _had_ been gone.

As the sun passed below the horizon he turned and headed in, quickly catching the scent of his friend, and following it forward, catching up. "Evening." he said in greeting, sneaking up behind Kare, who was dragging his feet, and obviously tired from a long day.

"Ah, Lucian." Kare replied, hardly shocked at his sudden appearance. "Thought I heard someone approaching."

"You heard _nothing_." Lucian accused, forcing his teasing tone. He was not much in the mood for lighthearted play, yet he knew it would be best, to keep the others from becoming more suspicious of him than they already were.

"I did, I swear to it." Kare insisted, though from his hollow voice, it was apparent his thoughts were elsewhere, not feeling much for the argument either.

"No matter." Lucian softened then. "There will always be time in the future for me to prove you wrong. Your ears are not as good as you say they are."

"They _are_, and all you will prove is your impenetrable capacity to harass and bother."

Lucian laughed, throwing his arm around the fellow Lycan in a brotherly hold. "Kare, do not say such things. How it _pains_ my heart to hear that I _annoy_ you..."

Kare shoved him off with a laugh and a fierce snarl, a smile dancing across his eyes.

Lucian laughed harder, but did not snarl back, as he was tempted to. Instead he smiled and continued walking on, with Kare falling in beside him as the two hurried their steps to return to the cages.

At the gate the two Vampires, Ademar and Clotaire, stood, their pale faces tightened into scowls of disapproval and impatience at the Lycans, who had done nothing.

The Lycans grew silent as they approached, keeping their heads down, so as not to give the Vampires any cause for alarm, which, in their case, meant defending their superiority with the quick slash of a whip to bare Lycan flesh. The wounds healed fast enough, but their bite was all flame, and deep. Lucian knew the painful sting of it from experience.

Ademar and Clotaire seemed preoccupied with their own muttered conversations to pay any of the Lycans real attention, so Lucian, his hands sweating of their own accord, with guilty conscious, breathed a silent sigh of relief once through the gate, and back in the cage of his nighttime home.

Inside, the cage was churning with life, which only grew in volume once the Vampires had locked them safely inside. Friends pestered friends about the day's finds; mothers barked at children who misbehaved, or played too roughly too close to their neighbors. Kare left Lucian's side, without word, to find his mate, Inna, who sat near the back corner, yawning, and then standing as she saw Kare approach. The two embraced, Kare nuzzling Inna's ear quietly, and then, _less_ quietly, as a slow growl rose in his chest. Inna giggled then hit her nose, playfully, against Kare's jaw, letting out a quiet snarl herself, and launching her lips and teeth at his chin. A tussle began, and Lucian moved his attention elsewhere.

There were no secrets in the cage.

He began making his way over to the bars, where he knew he would find a drink, but a tall figure stepped in his way, blocking him intentionally. Lucian didn't feel the need to mask the growl which rose in the back of his throat, smarting the hairs on the back of his neck. He could feel his arms, fingers, and back grow taut, the skin almost jumping with anticipation for a change, which would include claws and fangs. "Platon?" he asked instead, saying the Lycan's name as a question. He was being challenged. For _what_, he was not yet sure.

"Your trail was cold." Platon stated, his eyes never lowering their steady gaze at his own. "I was curious, so went to see how you have been patrolling your part of the boundaries, of late. You had not been there since speaking with _her_..."

Lucian held still, swallowing, subtly, the protective roar which had nearly burst. He did not flinch.

They had all known, the Lycans, since Sonja had come and cried to him before them, that something had happened they did not fully understand, with their brother Lucian and the Vampire. They had overheard his planning to meet with her in private, and yet, they had kept his secrets, pretended to their nonexistence, with only the understanding respect a Lycan could know.

Platon had _no_ right to be making any such accusation, bringing her to attention...

Lucian remained quiet while Platon watched. Lucian's eyes twitched slightly, as if they were weakening in his dominant stare. Platon parted his lips in a wolfish snarl, grinning, and then...

Lucian had Platon's throat gripped in his left hand, no need for Lycan form, as he hammered his fist down on Platon's face, crippling him with the one shocking blow, knocking Platon to his knees. He delivered one more blow to the Lycan's face, this time with his foot, slamming Platon, broken nose bleeding, to the hard floor of the cage, with a shattering _thunk_ from his head.

No snarl could escape the Lycan's throat as he struggled for breath through the pain. And Lucian stood over him, one foot pressing down on his ribs, more and more pressure, building... Platon whimpered as he felt ribs cracking, and Lucian only lowered his face and growled softly, eyes red, face half-human. "You have _quite_ out-stepped your bounds." he snarled. "_Do not_ let it happen again."

And he removed his foot, casually stepping aside to the bars of the cage for his drink.

Platon, quieting his whimpering, rose slowly to his feet, but bowed his head and made for a corner. The other Lycans watched, though pretended they had not noticed the very personal matter of the encounter, for dominance. Yet they were uneasy.

He could feel the air tense around him, now, and there was no escaping it. His violent reaction had frightened even himself, and Lucian knew, even _Lycans_ could not ignore the the source of the problem for long, the cause of the fight.

Sonja... Her memory was so soft, so delicate... It ran over him like a pair of hands, wiping the tension away, the fury of his fight, cooling the ache, releasing the tension, filling the emptiness with still calm...

He knew why he would fight, who he was protecting, and why. He had already decided this.

But had he thought about who would be the _cost_?


	6. Chapter 6: Overcome

CHAPTER 6 - Overcome

Inside the castle once more, Sonja made her daily round through the library, then back out, a book in hand, attempting, perhaps, to preoccupy herself for a few hours elsewhere, curled up in a chair in the main den sounded just about right...

"Sonja."

The sound of her name was not unheard of, but coming from her _father_, in _this_ area of the castle, it nearly was. She stopped and turned around quickly, blinking in surprise, suddenly cautious. "Yes, father?" she asked, seeing him standing there, having just emerged from a doorway.

He said nothing for a moment, only watched her waiting, his eyes slow and pondering. He broke the piercing silence with the hint of a smile. "You do not know how it pleases me to see you happy." he said at last, opening his arms to her.

Sonja had not realized there was a piece of her heart missing, but as she found her feet racing to her father, with childlike innocence, and then his arms around her as she buried her face in his chest, she found that missing piece, and once again, she was complete. He held her tightly, and kissed the top of her head as she breathed in the scent of his tunic.

"_Well_ now." he said, pulling her back gently so he could look at her. "Where have you been?"

For one brief moment, Sonja felt her heart thud with panic. Lucian... But no. Her father knew nothing of that, certainly. "I have been in the library." Sonja replied, lifting the book in her hand casually for her father's attention, to prove her point.

Her father must have heard her heart beat quicken, so that his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "_What_ is _in_ the library?" he asked.

Sonja did her best to blink at him with a confused expression. "Nothing." she stated flatly.

"Hmm." Viktor murmured thoughtfully. But he seemed little interested in the library's mysteries, so asked no more questions. "Sonja." he began again. "I have something I must speak with you concerning."

"Yes?" Sonja asked, anxious to be of any assistance to him. She had missed him in the weeks after her daylight encounters. He had not spoken with her, and now that he had begun once more, she would not do anything to destroy that bond, again.

"Sonja, I have seen great improvement in you, the past week, so I feel it is _fitting_ that I extend a pardon to you." Viktor spoke heavily. "You are a _wise_ girl, and I feel that you have learned sufficient from your encounter, without needing _my_ punishment in addition. I am _dismissing_ the limitations I put on you, in forbidding you from leaving the castle."

The weight behind the words would have made her cry out for joy a week ago, and yet, now with the nighttime air granted her again, she didn't know what she would do with it, for the night was her time to wait for Lucian, for nothing else.

Her father waited expectantly, watching her expressions. When she could not bring herself to be glad for her freedom, she found the one thing that _did_ make her glad. "Thank you for your trust, in me." Sonja said, bowing her head to her father, feeling humbled.

Then Viktor smiled once more, and reached for the chain that hung around his neck. "I would like you to wear this, for me." he added, handing her the chain, on which, hung an over-sized pendant, gold, with one small green stone in the center. Sonja took the pendant carefully, and examined it, as her father continued. "You must wear it _all_ times, for it is valuable, to me, and to the safety of our clan. I am giving it to you now, for I _know_ that I can trust you."

Viktor took the chain from her and placed it around her neck. "This is a _great_ responsibility."

Sonja looked up at him, and saw the seriousness in his face. "I won't let you down." she promised.

* * *

"What is that?" Lucian asked curiously, once it was day again.

Sonja sat beside him on the pew, and fingered the pendant around her neck absently, looking back to Lucian when he spoke. "Oh, it's..." She bit her lip thoughtfully. "My father gave it to me." she said finally. "He's speaking with me again. He says that he trusts me, and that I must wear this at all times. He says it's important."

"Just like the one that wears it." Lucian commented, stroking her hair with his hand.

Sonja blushed and quickly turned her face, to hide her smile.

Lucian chuckled silently to himself and shook his head. "You don't like it when I compliment you." he observed, leaning forward so that he might see her face.

Sonja turned her face back to him and rolled her eyes, sighing. "I'm not sure I _deserve_ it, that's why."

"Of _course_ you deserve it. You're the most important thing in my life."

Sonja pursed her lips and frowned. After a moment, she forced a painful laugh. "I wonder what the other Lycans would think of you saying that." she murmured, mostly to herself. "They would probably agree with _me_. I _don't_ deserve it..."

When Lucian said nothing, Sonja turned her face back to him, wondering. "...What _do _they think?"

Lucian shook his head to himself, as if having his own argument, then sighed. "Does it matter?" he asked. "What do the _Vampires_ think?"

"I..." Sonja swallowed, catching Lucian's quickly souring mood. She had not meant for that. "I...I don't suppose they _know_. _You_ know that."

"Right."

She regretted having spoken. She should have just accepted Lucian's sincerity, and been content. _Why_ did she have to bring up the others? Couldn't she do _anything_ right?

She saw Lucian watching her out of the corner of his eye, his face critically dark as it was turned away, not fully looking at her. She had hurt him, somehow. He was torn...

And torn he was. There she sat, so _close_ to him. And yet... Yet she was so far away. There was a gap there, larger than space. He _wanted_ her, more than anything or any_one_ he had ever wanted before. Everything _about_ her burned in him, blinding him, tearing at him till he felt shredded, and _still_. Still she sat, so hard to touch, forbidden...

They were so different. He could never _really_ have her, beyond a simple '_playmate'_. It couldn't be real. Real love, real passion... A real life could never be kept a secret. Someone would know. Someone would undoubtedly discover them, and that would mean death.

It couldn't go on like this forever. Someone would ask questions. Someone would betray them.

Was it better to have, and lose, or better to never have had at all?

Did she even understand? Did she even imagine, to know the outcome of such a thing? Such a thing...

He sighed and shook his head once more, suddenly tired. He felt finished. He had finally let reality in.

"What are you thinking, Lucian?" Sonja asked quietly, her voice echoing through his own thoughts.

He looked at her, her eyes wide with concern and a little guilt, and fear. Those eyes... "I'm thinking of the future." he replied before he could stop himself.

Sonja's eyes deepened as she thought, interpreting. She didn't seem to understand... She _didn't_ understand. How could she? She was a Vampire, and he, a Lycan. She _could_ _not_ see. She had not imagined. She could _never_ realize what it was they were doing. What they were _trying_ to do. It was impossible. It was all a waste.

"I'm sorry." Lucian muttered, shaking his head and resting it in his hands. It was over. It had to be. "I'm sorry. I... Sonja. This... I just... We're _different_."

A shadow crossed her face, as he spoke, and she started to understand what he was saying.

"No!" she said quickly, grabbing at his arm in desperation, though he remained seated. "No! Lucian, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have... I shouldn't have been so down. I'm sorry. It doesn't matter what _anybody_ thinks. What matters is what _we_ think. Please. I'm sorry. It doesn't matter..."

"But it _does_!" Lucian interrupted, and she jumped at the sudden fierceness in his voice. "It _does_ matter what they think. We are _part_ of them. Us in them, and them in us. It is they who determine the courses our lives must, and _will_ take."

"I don't believe that." Sonja said, fighting back. "We can chose. Lucian, _we_ can _chose_."

"This is _silly_." Lucian snarled under his breath, shaking Sonja's hands off, and rising to his feet. "I'm sorry." he said, looking down at her. "I...I have to go... I'm sorry."

His feet began to carry him down the aisle, away from her, towards the door. Sonja flew to her own feet, her heart pounding desperately as she felt the first tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Wait! _No_, Lucian."

He stopped mid-stride. When he turned back to her, his face was masked in sorrow. "No, Sonja. It _can't_ be. _Please_. Listen to me, and try to understand..."

"I _love_ you, Lucian."

His argument fell flat.

Her heart was beating at a hysterical pace as the tears fell from her eyes. She didn't blink them away. She hardly even noticed. She saw only him, and how his feet had turned towards her once more. His eyes remained clouded, detached. But he was standing there, strong and proud. He... She _did_ love him.

In the blink of an eye she had closed the distance between them, and stood before him. He watched her, depleted, as the tears continued down her face. "Sonja..." He whispered her name remorsefully, bowing his head, ashamed.

"Do you love me?" she demanded, waiting blankly for his reply.

He took in a breath, pained, and stared at her. Believing, strong, and _perfect_... "Always."

She needed no more. She threw her arms around his neck, holding him close to her heart as she buried her tears in his shoulder and kissed his neck softly. She could feel him shiver in surprise, yet she did not let go. She would _never_ let go.

She pulled back to stare at his face, those eyes of his now clear as he watched her intensely, focusing and refocusing, trying to understand.

"Noone..." Sonja began, pulling her face towards his own. "_No_ one...controls my destiny... _Whatever_ that may be."

His arms found their way around her waist and he was there, kissing her lips fiercely, breathing against her cheek as she held him tighter, running her fingers through his hair.

Her life could end now. It could end now, for all she cared.

* * *

Kraven was a Vampire, and, thereby, could taste, smell, and hear blood, wherever it was at.

He had curiously followed Sonja, and had seen her enter the chapel. He had thought nothing of it, and had continued down the passageway, to another hallway, another destination.

He had thought nothing of it, until he realized that the chapel was a solitary place, a place to be alone. And if Sonja was in there, it may well be just the opportunity he had been seeking for, to have a word with her. He was not brave enough to attempt a flirtatious conversation with a hard-headed girl in a public place, for fear of denial and the embarrassment that would most certainly accompany it. But in a private place? He had none to fear.

He turned around, down the path, and made his way back to the chapel doors, clearing his throat as he got nearer, and smoothing his hair.

And that's when he heard it. A raised heartbeat. Two of them. Completely different, yet exactly the same. He quieted his approach, curious, now, determined to solve this mystery. He made his breathing shallow, and treaded lightly.

There was breathing too... _Kissing! _So Sonja had a lover? This was _not_ common knowledge, _especially_ seeing as their meeting was in a secluded place. Did Viktor even know?

Fortunately for him, the door did not have a tight lock, so sliding the door open a small crack, quietly, was not a problem. He put his face forward, and peered into the room, not knowing what to expect, as the heartbeat he heard drove him mad.

His eyes adjusted to the environment, and he was able to make out two forms, Sonja's face towards him. The other was a man, dressed strangely. Kraven couldn't recognize him.

The smell was... He smelled like...

Kraven's eyes widened as he realized what it was he was seeing. Sonja... with a Lycan.

He shut the door as quietly and quickly as he could, then headed down the hall.


End file.
